State Budget
Pennsylvanians Are in Dire Need of Tax Reform
Originally published by RealClearPennsylvania. Today is Tax Day. Each year, April 15th reminds us of the costliness of government spending – and why lawmakers must reduce this financial burden on…
Read More: Pennsylvanians Are in Dire Need of Tax ReformHigh taxes make for a slow-growing economy. And communities feel the pinch of high taxes as more and more native Pennsylvanians leave the Keystone State to prosper elsewhere. To remain economically competitive, Pennsylvania must lower state taxes and ensure businesses have the opportunity to succeed. Lower taxes will incentivize more individuals to call Pennsylvania their home, ultimately spurring our statewide economy forward.
Public Union Democracy
Government Union Cronies Collude Against Seniors
Here’s a letter to the editor I wrote identifying the connections between special interest groups who oppose a lottery contract, and their motives for undermining a deal that would generate…
Media
Read More: Government Union Cronies Collude Against SeniorsRegulation
PA Tax Loophole Funds Frackaphobic Film
There’s a memorable line in Promised Land, the new Matt Damon movie opening Friday about a gas drilling company buying land rights in a declining farming community. One…
Media
Read More: PA Tax Loophole Funds Frackaphobic FilmRegulation
Averting the “Lottery Cliff” for Seniors and Taxpayers
From the greatest generation to the latest generation, Pennsylvania’s seniors have worked a lifetime to build this great commonwealth through hard work and sacrifice, but are now being told the…
Commentary
Read More: Averting the “Lottery Cliff” for Seniors and TaxpayersTaxes & Economy
Pa.’s Economic Glass Half Full?
Will Bunch’s column in the Philadelphia Daily News last week takes a very negative view of Pennsylvania’s economic climate, based on the premise that the state unemployment rate is higher…
Media
Read More: Pa.’s Economic Glass Half Full?Taxes & Economy
Principles for Transportation Funding
Pennsylvania's roads and bridges need repair. But before taking one more dollar from working men and women through higher prices at the gas pump, lawmakers must work to ensure every…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Principles for Transportation FundingRegulation
Poor Pension Policy Could Harm Bond Rating
Last week, Moody’s Investor Service released a warning to state and local governments on borrowing to finance underfunded pension systems, commonly referred to as pension obligation bonds. The report…
Media
Read More: Poor Pension Policy Could Harm Bond RatingHealth Care
Hidden Costs of Obamacare Exposed
While much has been written about the cost of the exchange and the Medicaid expansion, a mountain of hidden mandates could cost Pennsylvania taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars over…
Media
Read More: Hidden Costs of Obamacare ExposedPublic Union Democracy
Are You a Freeloader?
Yesterday, Jon Delano of KDKA Pittsburgh asked the question: Could Pennsylvania be next for right-to-work legislation? As you know from the lessons learned from Michigan’s recent passage…
Media
Read More: Are You a Freeloader?Health Care
Corbett Exchange Decision Right Call
Governor Corbett’s decision yesterday to refuse to implement a state-based health care exchange under the Affordable Care Act (which means Pennsylvania will revert to a federally-run exchange), was the…
Media
Read More: Corbett Exchange Decision Right CallEducation
Handouts Hurting Poor, Help Up a Better Way
The holidays are a great time to be grateful for the gifts we've received. And, as we remember well, fallen Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney claimed that some Americans have…
Commentary
Read More: Handouts Hurting Poor, Help Up a Better WayHealth Care
Corbett Defends Taxpayers, Rejects State-Based Exchange
Pennsylvania today joined 21 other states in refusing to create a state-based exchange or partnership exchange, one of the tenets of the Affordable Care Act. Thanks to Governor Corbett’s…
Media
Read More: Corbett Defends Taxpayers, Rejects State-Based ExchangePublic Union Democracy
More Wolverine Lessons
Friday, Charles commented on Michigan nearing passage of Right to Work, in line to become the 24th state where workers aren’t forced to pay fees to a union…
Media
Read More: More Wolverine LessonsPublic Union Democracy
New York? Fuhgeddaboudit. Lansing!
As I write this, most of Pennsylvania’s political glitterati has its mind on New York City, where the annual Pennsylvania Society gathering is underway. But my mind is on…
Media
Read More: New York? Fuhgeddaboudit. Lansing!Health Care
Lawmakers Challenge Obamacare’s “Most Harmful Provisions”
On Tuesday Rep. Gordon Denlinger sent an updated version of a letter to Governor Corbett urging against the creation of a state exchange and expanding Medicaid under the Affordable…
Media
Read More: Lawmakers Challenge Obamacare’s “Most Harmful Provisions”Regulation
Fishing in Barrel Lands Union Support
Unnecessary, unfair and un-American? Welcome to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, the government liquor monopoly that union boss Wendell Young has made a lucrative career defending. As papers across the commonwealth continue…
Media
Read More: Fishing in Barrel Lands Union SupportHealth Care
But It’s Only A Few Billion More…
Medicaid spending will increase by more than one trillion dollars nationally over the next decade if all states participate in the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, according to new analysis by…
Media
Read More: But It’s Only A Few Billion More…Criminal Justice Reform
Three of Four Alarms Still Ringing
Late last month, the Independent Fiscal Office released its annual report looking at Pennsylvania’s economy and forecasting state budget expenditures and revenues. The trends remain alarming. Most notably, state…
Media
Read More: Three of Four Alarms Still RingingHealth Care
5 Must-Know Facts About Health Care Exchanges
The election has been settled, but the future of the Affordable Care Act is far from it, as decisions are now in the hands of governors and state lawmakers. One…
Media
Read More: 5 Must-Know Facts About Health Care ExchangesRegulation
Film Credits More Blooper Reel than Blockbuster
Film industry lobbyists are renewing calls for more corporate welfare for the film industry, through expansion of Pennsylvania’s Film Tax Credit. As we’ve noted time and…
Media
Read More: Film Credits More Blooper Reel than BlockbusterState Budget
Federal Funds Aren’t “Free”
There’s no such thing as a free lunch—meaning everything in life, including government programs, must be paid for. Unfortunately, many advocates of government health insurance expansion explain the Affordable…
Media
Read More: Federal Funds Aren’t “Free”Regulation
Pennsylvania’s Tax Burden Ranks 10th (Again), but Pension Bomb Ticking
Last week, America kept its president and Congress, and Pennsylvania’s legislature stayed largely the same too. There’s another thing that Pennsylvanians can count on—ranking 10th in the United States for…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Tax Burden Ranks 10th (Again), but Pension Bomb Ticking